Shoe rest



Feb. 8, 1944.

SHOE REST Filed March J 1945 J. T. LANCASTER 4 Patented Feb. 8, 1944 snon REST John '1. Lancaster, Newton, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 1, 1943, Serial No. 477,538

18 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for operating upon shoes and more particularly to shoe rests intended for use in machines for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, such, for example, as cement sole attaching machines or sole laying or leveling machines.

Machines of the type referred to are usually provided with means of some kind, such as a pad, a form, or a similar device, for supporting a sole and shoe for receiving pressure and they are also provided with mechanism for pressing the sole and shoe against the pad or support either to apply the sole attaching or sole laying pressure thereto, or to sustain the shoe while the pad or support applies such pressure. This pressing mechanism generally comprises a heel engaging member or abutment movable heightwise toward and away from the pad, and a forward or toe engaging member arranged to engage the central portion of the forepart of the shoe, usually a short distance forwardly of the ball line portion where the surface to be engaged is relatively wide and flat.

Some of the more expensive grades of shoes have ornaments, such as bows, buckles or pom-- pons attached to this central portion of their foreparts and these ornaments sometimes occupy a substantial area of the forepart or project upwardly from the shoe a considerable distance. Obviously, a forepart shoe rest or abutment of the usual type, which is arranged to engage the forepart of the shoe at this central or intermediate portion wherethe ornament is located, would not be suitable for this kind of work because it would strike the ornament and damage or destroy it. However, a shoe of this type must be supported at its forepart when receiving sole attaching or laying pressure and the shoe rest or other support must therefore be of such a character that the shoe will be properly sustained against pressure at the forepart, even against such heavy pressure as is applied, for example, in the sole laying, leveling, or cement sole attaching operations. Moreover, the shoe rest cannot be of a type that will engage and damage or destroy any ornament thereon.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improved shoe engaging member or shoe rest for use in connection with work of the type referred to which will support the forepart of a shoe properly against heavy pressure applied to its bottom portion but which will not damage or destroy ornaments or other objects secured to the forepart of the shoe.

With these ends in view, the invention provides, in accordance with one feature thereof, an improved shoe rest comprising a pair of members carried by a pressure applying arm and arranged to engage the opposite side portions of a shoe on a support to apply pressure to the shoe, or to sustain the shoe against pressure applied to its bottom surface, said members being mounted on the arm for swinging movement laterally of the support toward and away from the opposite side portions of the shoe and being also arranged for relative heightwise movement with respect to said arm during the pressure applying operation. The illustrated shoe rest is further provided with means rendered effective by the relative heightwise movement of said members and said arm for moving the members positively into engagement with the opposite side portions of the shoe and for urging them against the shoe with substantially equal pressure to press the sole and shoe firmly against the pad.

As herein illustrated, the shoe engaging members are pivotally mounted on a plunger movable heightwise in the arm in response to resistance created by the engagement of said members with the shoe, the plunger preferably being yieldable heightwise against a spring mounted in the arm. The means for moving or swinging the members laterally toward or away from the shoe comprises a slide freely movable transversely of the pad and provided with means, illustrated herein as a pair of rolls, for engaging oppositely inclined surfaces on the upper ends of said members during their heightwise or yielding movement and for urging them positively toward the opposite sides of the shoe. Since'the slide is freely movable transversely of the support, it is adapted, through engagement of the rolls with said inclined surfaces, to equalize the pressure applied by said members to the opposite side portions of the shoe. Further means is provided on the shoe rest for normally maintaining the slide in a centralized position laterally of the support and relatively to the pivoted members, and means is also provided for adjusting the members or the plunger heightwise relatively to the slide to vary the initial position of said members laterally of the pad, thereby adapting them In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the shoe rest located in operative relation to a shoe on a pad; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the shoe rest as viewed from the left in Fig. l.

The shoe rest embodying the features 01 the present invention is illustrated herein, by way of example, as applied to a cement sole attaching machine of the type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States N0. 2,047,185, granted July 14, 1936, on an application filed in the name of Milton H. Ballard et a1. It is to be understood, however, that while the invention has been illustrated in its application to shoe rests adapted for use in cement sole attaching, sole laying or leveling machines, it is not limited in its scope to shoe rests for use in such machines but is applicable to other types of shoe machines and to machines which perform operations upon shoes other than applying pressure to the bottom portions thereof.

As shown in the drawing, the illustrated shoe rest is arranged to engage the opposite side portions of a shoe on the pad of a cement sole attaching machine or a sole laying machine at the vicinity of the ball line of the shoe, or slightly forwardly thereof, and it is particularly adapted for operating upon shoes having ornaments attached to the central or intermediate portions of their foreparts because the shoe rest isarranged to bridge or straddle the intermediate portion of the forepart of the shoe and thus to avoid damaging any ornament or other object attached to such portion.

The shoe rest comprises a pair of curved members H] and i2 pivotally mounted for swinging movement laterally of the pad I4, upon which the shoe is supported, on a screw i5 secured in the lower portionlB of a plunger by a nut 9. The lower ends of the pivoted members or arms If] and l? are provided with pins 22 upon which are mounted a pair of presserl'eet 24, 28 adapted to engage the opposite side portions of a shoe A on a last B, the shoe being provided at its forepart with an ornament 28, illustrated herein as a pompon. The presser feet 24, 26 are maintained in inwardly inclined positions relatively to the lower ends of the members l0 and I2 by small compression springs 36 extending between the members and the presser feet at opposite sides of the pins 20, 22 and which permit suflicient pivotal movement of the presser feet to allow them to adjust themselves automatically to the various angles or curvatures of the opposite side portions of the shoes operated upon. Each presser foot is provided with 'a tongue 32 which enters a slot in a pad 34 of leather or similar material to secure the pad to the shoe engaging surface of the presser foot and thus to avoid scarring the shoe. The upper portions of the membersor arms l0 and I2 extend upwardly and outwardly and are provided at their inner sides respectively with inclined fiat surfaces 36 and '38.

The plunger 4! (Fig. 1) is provided with a cylindrical shank portion which extends upwardly into a hole in a bracket 42 mounted for adjustment lengthwise of the pad I4 in a T- shaped guideway 44 formed in a crosshead member 46 forming a part of the cement sole attaching machine, this member ordinarily carrying the'forep'art shoe rest or abutment of the machine and being connected by an arm 48 to and i2.

a fixed portion of the machine to insure vertical movement of the shoe rest as it is moved toward and away from the shoe by a pressure applying lever or arm 59 provided on the machine. The plunger 48 is arranged to move or yield heightwise in the bracket 42 relatively to the arm 59 by reason of a compression spring 52 located in the hole in the bracket above the plunger, as shown in Fig. l. The plunger is prevented from rotating in the bracket by a pin 54 fastened in the plunger and extending through a vertical slot 56 formed in the rear wall of the bracket, the slot limiting the extent of heightwise movement of the plunger.

The forward portion of the bracket 42 has a dove-tailed slot 58 extending transversely thereof in which is mounted for free sliding movement transversely or laterally of the pad a slide (ill provided on its front surface with a pair of forwardly projecting rolls 62, 84 secured to the slide by shoulder screws -(it. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the rolls 62, 64 are arranged to engage the inclined surfaces 36, 38, respectively, on the upper ends of the pivoted members or arms I L A tension spring 68, extending between the upper portions of the arms 10 and I2, serves normally to maintain the inclined surfaces 3!, '38 in constant engagement with the rolls. Consequently, these spaced rolls 62, 64 on the slide 66 determine the positions of the lower ends of the arms in and I2 and also of the presser feet 24, 26 laterally of the pad, and the slide 60 is normally maintained in a central position widthwise of the bracket 42 by a coiled spring 10 (Fig. 2) extending between aligned pin 12, 14 secured in the bracket 42 above and below the transverse slot 58. The coiled spring 10 is engaged at its opposite sides by pins 16, TB projecting forwardly from the slide 60 at equal distances from the vertical center line thereof, this construction serving to return the slide to a centralized position in the transverse guideway 58 after the mechanism has been operated and the slide has been moved out of a central position by reason of the engagement of the rolls 62, 64 with the inclined surfaces on the arms 10 and I2.

The pivoted arms [0, l2 may be adjusted laterally of the pad to position them in accordance with the shoe to be operated upon by means of a screw (Fig. 1) threaded through a projection 82 extending from the rear surface of the bracket 42, the screw engaging the pin 54 in the plunger 40 and thus varying the initial heightwise position of the plunger in the bracket. Heightwise adjustment of the plunger in the bracket 42 changes the heightwise position of the arms If] and I2 relatively to the slide 60 and causes differentportions of the inclined surfaces 36, 38 on the arms to engage the rolls 62 and 64, thereby opening or closing the lower ends of the arms I!) and 12 a corresponding amount.

In the operation of the mechanism, the shoe A is placed in proper position on the shoe support or pad l4, together with an outsole S which is to be cement attached to the shoe bottom, the parts having first been treated with a suitable sole attaching cement in the usual manner. After the sole and shoe have been properly located on the pad, a swing frame on the cement sole attaching machine, which carries the arms 48, 50, is swung forwardly over the shoe and the machine power is turned on to cause the pressure applying members of the machine to engage the shoe and press it firmly against the pad. A heel abutment 83 provided on the machine is moved downwardly by powermeans to engage the rear portion of the last B and to press the heel portions of-the .sole and shoe firmly against the pad, and the pressure applying arm 50, which is suitably connected to the crosshead 46, as shown in Fig. 2, swings downwardly to move the forepart abutment or, in the present case, the shoe rest, toward the shoe and sole. The pivoted arms I and i2, having been properly adjusted laterally of the pad by the screw Bil for the size and style of shoe being operated upon, and having also been positioned so that ,they will engage the forepart of the shoe at the opposite side portions thereof and will thus avoid striking any ornament located on the central portion of said forepart, such, for example, as the pompon 28, move downwardly into engagement with the opposite side portions of the shoe. The presser feet 24, 26 on the lower ends of the arms l8 and i2 adjust themselves automatically to the inclinations or curvatures of the opposite side portions of the shoe so that the pressure applied by these presser feet is substantially uniform throughout their areas. As the shoe rest is moved downwardly by continued movement of the pressure applying arm the plunger 49 yields heightwise in the bracket 32 against the compression spring 52, thus permitting the arms IO and I2 to come to rest while the bracket, transverse slide 6i] and the rolls 62, fi icontinue to move downwardly. The rolls ride down the inclined surfaces 36, 38 on the arms Ill, l2 and tend to force the upper ends of the arms farther apart by the wedge action of the rolls upon the inclined surfaces. The lower end portions of the arms are thus urged positively inwardly and downwardly with a pressure that increases in proportion to the downward movement of the arm 53. When the pin 54 in the plunger 49 engages the upper end of the slot 56 in the bracket 52, the yielding action ceases and the arms l0 and I2 move downwardly positively thereafter. The presser feet 24, 26 are thus forced into engagement with the opposite side portions of the shoe and are caused to press the shoe positively against the pad with a pressure which increases until the arm 50 has completed its downward movement.

If the shoe should happen to be positioned a little to one side of the center of the support or pad so. that one of the members. Ill, [2 engages the shoe before the other, the resistance caused by the arm which engages the shoe first will cause the plunger M3 to yield heightwise against the spring 52 to permit theinclined surfaces 36, 38 on the arms H), I2 to move heightwise relatively to the rolls E2, 6 2 on the transverse slide 68. This relative heightwise movement will cause the slide Eli to shift widthwise or laterally in the transverse guideway 58 until the roll which actuates the arm not engaging the shoe swings that arm quickly into engagement with the shoe, after which the continued yielding action of the plunger Gil will cause the rolls to urge both arms positively toward the shoe with substantially equal pressure as the rolls ride further down the inclined surfaces 36, 38. In other words, the free sliding movement of the slide 69 transversely of the pad in the transverse guideway 58 permits the slide to be readily shifted laterally of the pad when one of the pivoted arms engages the shoe before the other, thereby moving this other arm almost immediately into engagement with the opposite side of the shoe so thatcontinued movement of the pressure applying mechanism toward the pad then urges both arms positively against the opposite side portions of the shoe with substantially equal pressure.

After the pressure applying operation has been completed and the pressure applying arm 50 is swung upwardly by power to move the shoe rest away from the shoe, the plunger 40 moves downwardly in the bracket 42 until the pin 54 strikes the adjusting screw 80, thereby returning the lower ends of the arms Ill and [2 to their initial or open positions laterally of the pad. If the transverse slide 60 has been moved laterally out of a centralized position relatively to the pad or the bracket 42 during the operation of the mechanism, the coiled spring 10, which has been tensioned by the pins l6, E8 in the direction of the lateral displacement of the slide, as shown in Fig. 2, will spring back into a substantially straight or vertical position between the aligned pins 12, Hi and through the pins l6, 18 will return the slide 60 to its original centralized position relatively to the bracket 42 and the pad [4. Since the tension spring 68 normally maintains inclined surfaces of the arms l0 and l2 in constant engagement with the rolls 62, 64 onthe slide 6!), the spring action which moves the slide and rolls back into a centralized position will, of course, also swing the lower ends of the arms m and [2 into a central position laterally of the pad while they are maintained at the desired separated or open position relatively to each other by the engagement of the stop pin 5 with the adjusting screw 86.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for use in operating upon shoes, the combination with a support for a sole and shoe, of a pressure applying arm, members carried by said arm arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the shoe to apply pressure thereto, said members being mounted for swinging movement toward and away from the shoe and being also arranged for relative heightwise movement with respect to said arm, and means rendered effective by the relative heightwise movement of said members and said arm for urging the members against the opposite side portions of the shoe.

2. In a machine for use in operating upon shoes, the combination with a support for a sole and shoe, of a pressure applying arm, members carried by said arm arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the shoe and to press the shoe toward th support, said members being pivoted on said arm for swinging .movement laterally of the support toward and away from the shoe and being also arranged for heightwise movement relatively to said arm, and means rendered operative by said heightwise movement for urging said members positively against the opposite side portions of the shoe to press the sole and shoe against the support.

'3. In a machine for use in operating upon shoes, the combination with a support for a sole and shoe, of a pressure applying arm movable heightwise of the support toward and away from the shoe thereon, members carried by said arm for engaging the opposite side portions of the shoe and applying pressure thereto, said arm being arranged to support said members for swinging movement laterally of the shoe toward and away from the opposite side portions thereof and being also arranged to move heightwise relatively to said members, and meansrendered operative by heightwise movement of said arm rela- 'tively to said members for swinging them positively into engagement with the opposite side portions of the shoe.

4. In a machine for use in operating upon shoes, the combination with a support for a sole and shoe, of a pressure applying arm, members carried by said arm arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the shoe to apply pressure thereto, said members being mounted for swinging movement toward and away from the opposite side portions of the shoe andbeing also arranged for relative movement with respect to pressure thereto, said members being mounted for swinging movement toward and away from the shoe and being arranged to ield heightwise of the shoe, and means rendered operative by the yielding movement of said members heightwise of the shoe for urging them positively into engagement with the opposite side portions of theshoe.

6. In a machine for use in operating upon shoes, the combination with a support for a sole and shoe, of a pressure appyling arm, members carried by said arm arranged to engage the op posite side portions of the shoe and to apply pressure thereto, said members being pivoted on said arm for swinging movement laterally thereof toward and away from the opposite side portions of the shoe and being also arranged to yield heightwise relatively to said arm, and means rendered effective by the yielding movement of said members relatively to said arm for moving them positively against the opposite side portions of the shoe to apply pressure thereto.

'7. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, the combination with a pad for supporting a sole and shoe, of members arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the shoe and topress the shoe toward the pad, said members being mounted for swinging movement laterally of the pad toward and away from the shoe thereon, means for supporting said members for yielding movement heightwise of the pad, and

means operating in response to said yielding movement for swinging said members positively into engagement withthe opposite side portions of the shoe to press the shoe and sole against the pad.

8. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, the combination with a pad for supporting a sole and shoe, of a pressure applying arm, a pair of members carried by said arm arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the shoe to press the sole and shoe against the pad, said members being pivoted on said arm for swinging movement in opposite directions laterally of the pad toward and away from the shoe thereon and being also arranged for relative movement with respect to said arm heightwise of the pad, and means rendered effective by the relative movement of said arm and said members for causing them to press against the opposite side portions of the shoe with substantially equal pressure.

9. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, the combination with a pad for supporting a sole and shoe, of a pair of members 'arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the shoe to press the sole and shoe against the pad,

said members being pivoted for swinging movement laterally of the pad toward and away from the shoe thereon, means for supporting said members for yielding movement helghtwise of the pad, and means rendered operative by the yielding movement of said members after one or the other of them has engaged the shoe for swinging the other member into engagement with the opposite side portion of the shoe.

10. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, the combination with a pad and a pressure applying arm movable heightwise of the pad toward and away from a shoe thereon, of a pair of members mounted on said arm and arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the shoe to press the sole and shoe against the pad, said members being arranged for swinging'movement laterally of the pad toward and away from the opposite side portions of the shoe, a support for said members arranged to yield heightwise of the pad under the pressure of said members against the shoe as the arm moves toward the shoe, and means on said arm operating in response to the yielding movement of said support and said members for urging said members positively toward the shoe to apply inward and downward pressure thereto.

11. In a machine for use in operating upon shoes, the combination with a support for a sole and shoe, of a pressure applying arm, members carried by said arm arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the shoe to apply pressure thereto, said members being pivoted for swingin movement laterally of the support toward and away from the shoe thereon and being also arranged for relative movement with respect to said arm heightwise of the support, a slide in said arm movable transversely of the support, and means carried by said slide for engaging said members and swinging them laterally into positive engagement with the shoe, said means being rendered effective by the relative movement of said arm and said members heightwise of the support.

12. In a machine for use in operating. upon shoes, the combination with a support for a sole and shoe and an arm movable heightwise of the support toward and away from a shoe thereon to press the sole and shoe against said support, of a pair of members arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the shoe, said members being mounted for swinging movement laterally of the support toward and away from the shoe, a spring plunger mounted in said arm, a fulcrum on said plunger upon which said members are pivoted, said plunger being arranged to yield heightwise of the support under pressure exerted upon said members by the shoe, and a slide on said .arm extending transversely of the support and being freely movable in the arm, said slide having means thereon for engaging said pivoted members and swinging them positively into engage ment with the shoe, said slide being rendered operative to swing saidmembers against the shoe by the yielding movement of said plunger and said members in said arm upon the engagement of said members with the shoe.

13. In a machine for use in operating upon shoes, the combination with a support for a sole and'shoe, of a pressure applying arm movable-heightwise of the support toward and away from "a shoe thereon, a spring plunger-mounted in said arm and arranged to yield relatively thereto heightwise of the support, a pair of members pivoted on said plunger and yieldable heightwise therewith for engaging the opposite side portions of the shoe and applying pressure thereto, said pivoted members being arranged for swinging movement laterally of the support toward and away from the shoe, a slide mounted on said arm for free sliding movement transversely of the support, and a pair of rolls carried by said slide and arranged to engage oppositely inclined surfaces on the upper ends of said pivoted members when said members yield heightwise relatively to said arm, thereby to urge the lower ends of said members positively against the opposite side portions of the shoe, said rolls operating through their engagement with said inclined surfaces to move the slide transversely of the support to centralize the rolls with respect to said surfaces and thereby to cause the rolls to urge said pivoted members against the opposite side portions of the shoe with substantially equal pressure.

14. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, the combination with a pad for supporting a sole and shoe, of a pair of members arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the shoe and to apply pressure thereto, said members being mounted to swing in opposite directions laterally of the pad toward and away from the shoe and being also arranged to yield heightwise of the pad, means rendered effective by the yielding movement of said members for swinging them positively into engagement with the shoe, and means for adjusting said members relatively to said last-named means to vary the position of said members laterally of the pad.

15. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, the combination with a pad for supporting a sole and shoe, of a pressure applying arm, a pair of members carried by said arm arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the shoe and to apply pressure thereto, said members being pivoted to swing in opposite directions laterally of the pad toward and away from the opposite side portions of the shoe, means on said arm for supporting said members for pivotal movement, said means being arranged for relative heightwise movement with respect to said arm, slide means rendered operative by said relative heightwise movement for swinging said members positively into engagement with the shoe, means for normally maintaining said members in engagement with said slide means, and means for adjusting said members heightwise relatively to the slide means to vary their position laterally of the pad.

16. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, the combination with a pad for supporting a sole and shoe, of a pair of pivoted members for engaging the opposite side portions of the shoe, said members being arranged for swinging movement in opposite directions laterally of the pad toward and away from the shoe, a plunger for supporting said pivoted members arranged to yield heightwise of the pad, means operating in response to the yielding movement of said pivoted members with said plunger for swinging said members positively into engagement with the shoe and for causing them to press inwardly and downwardly against the opposite side portions thereof, said means being freely movable transversely of the pad to equalize the pressure applied by said members, means for normally maintaining said members in engagement with said last-named means, and means for adjusting said plunger heightwise of the pad to vary the initial position of the pivoted members laterally of the pad.

1'7. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, the combination with a pad for supporting a sole and shoe, of a pair of members for engaging the opposite side portions of the shoe and pressing it toward the pad, said members being arranged for swinging movement laterally of the pad toward and away from the shoe, means for supporting said members for yielding movement heightwise of the pad, means rendered efiective by the yielding movement of said members for urging them positively against the shoe, said means normally engaging said members and being freely movable transversely of the pad to equalize the pressure applied by said members, and means for returning said last-named means to its original transverse position after pressure has been applied to the sole and shoe.

18. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, the combination with a pad for supporting a sole and shoe and a pressure applying arm movable to press the sole and shoe against the pad, of a pair of members carried by said arm and arranged to engage the opposite side portions of the forepart of the shoe and to press said forepart inwardly and downwardly against the pad, said members being mounted for swinging movement laterally of the pad and being also arranged to yield heightwise on said arm, upon their engagement with the shoe through movement of the arm toward the shoe, means rendered efiective by the yielding movement of said members for forcing them positively into engagement with the opposite side portions of the shoe, said means normally engaging said members in a centralized position relatively to the pad but being freely movable transversely of the pad to equalize the pressure applied by said members, and means carried by said arm for returning said last-named means to its original centralized position laterally of the pad after pressure has been applied to the sole and shoe.

JOHN T. LANCASTER. 

